We Love…

Every designer has been through the process of cutting and sticking hundreds of images from design, architecture and lifestyle magazines to a piece of flimsy card, which you then prop up against your wall and stare at continuously hoping to ‘be’ inspired, in order to help create that perfect design?

It is an integral part of the design process when R&Ding a new project, helping you to understand the parameters of a given brief and to learn boundaries of the creative direction as well as involving the client in the whole creative development of their product, which in turn creates early buy in… a good thing.

Well, I spent about three years making moodboards at Uni (thats a lot of moodboards) for each and every project and became very adapt at the whole process… infact it is rather a quick and involving job… However and after reading a recent post online it made me laugh when it suggested that some agencies are using a library of pre-made moodboards to whip out in front of clients (multiple clients - same moodboards) and charging each and every time… ever heard the term ‘money for old rope’… rather cheeky I think.

Some clients find them confusing because as you’re trying to sell them the idea, showing them brightly coloured shapes and images, they’re often looking at the boards in a non-creative way and the outcome is they often see them as a design idea, not a starting point for inspiration! However, some clients find them reassuring and the idea of grabbing a set of scissors themselves and joining in, may help them understand and appreciate what their brand is actually trying to say.

So, keep going with the moodboards… BUT be sure to use them in the right way. Don’t see them as a cash cow… Don’t abuse them… and most importantly don’t hang onto them for dear life… Be flexible in your approach to enable you to best service your clients and their needs.

Cheers, Dan

After reading an article in Creative Review this week on the true value of original artwork, I started thinking where the value lies in todays world of digital…

Now, I’m not sure how many of you insist on working up visuals and roughs before jumping straight onto a mac, but for me it’s an important part of the process (and one that shouldn’t be forgotten or disregarded due to time or budget pressures).

At university our lecturers used to insist on seeing a bulk of sketches and ideas before being presented with the final solution. I sometimes found this tough, seeing as my best ideas came straight away as a spark of inspiration (and the pub was calling). But in the end it really helped with the whole creative process and often led to more interesting thoughts, better solutions and, in the end saved time, as I could generate lots of ideas faster than on a mac and then be in a better place to judge the value of an idea before committing to artwork…

Not only can these sketches help achieve a better solution, but for John Pasche they recently made him £50,000 when he sold his original artwork for the Rolling Stones logo to the V&A Museum in London this year. I smile to myself as I imagine plenty of over excited old school designers as they start to dig out their original sketches and blow the cobwebs off their pasted-up portfolios.

Now, I know mine might only be a few years old, but I think I’ve got some scribbles from about 18 years ago so I’m off to grab a ladder and head up in the loft . . . must dash ! Moral of the story… get pen to paper, brainstorm those ideas and treasure those original sketches (especially in todays climate), because one day, you never know . . .

Thanks for reading,

Dandy